Guilt
by Cathy Barton
Summary: It's always a surprise when you find out who will be the first to fall in battle. Erk's POV. Erk's past in detail.


Notes: Okay, basically, this is a piece that's supposed to show you Erk's past, since I didn't think they dwelled on that enough in the game. Also, I really like the support conversations between all three, so that inspired me to write this, too. I understand that Pent, Louise, and Erk are all from Etruria, but I thought it would be more interesting if I made them be visiting the Nabata Desert when they first meet Erk. However, I will show them in Etruria, so don't whine about it in your reviews/flames, okay? Okay. Oh, right, and this is my first one-shot, so yeah...sorry if it sucks.  
  
(For everyone that expected this to be posted on Monday) Sorry that it took so long for me to post, but the login screen wasn't working for me for the past week, so it was impossible for me to log in and post it...sorry guys ^^;;  
  
Oh, by the way, the tactician's name is Riv. He only appears for a bit, so it doesn't really matter, but...I just wanted to make that clear. And...Pent has a mansion. I mean, he's the Marquess of Reglay, so he's gotta have some cash...right? ^^;;  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
--Guilt--  
  
It was dark outside, very dark. The sky was a dreary gray, the clouds a deep charcoal, casting shadows over all the land. Buckets of rain fell from the sky, soaking through my cape and clothes and clinging them to my thin form.  
  
I could tell from the beginning that something in this battle was bound to go wrong.  
  
Riv had ordered only our best team members to go out and fight; the weakest of our team would not be able to handle such rough conditions. Why I was chosen, I had no plausible idea. I was just a sage, and not nearly as strong as my teacher. However, I wanted to try my best in the battle, for if I so much as made one mistake, the whole fight could be lost.  
  
At the moment, I felt quite useless. From where I stood in the woods, I could see that the battle was going along smoothly. Lyn was slicing and dicing, Hector was swinging his axe about recklessly, which made me grin. People never change. I surveyed the scenery some more; Sain was hitting on Priscilla (who was healing Eliwood at the same time), and Kent was screaming at Sain to shut up and kill the archer that was about to attack Heath.  
  
Okay, so maybe things weren't going so smoothly, but it was just about the best things could go with our team. It's kind of depressing to think that these people are our best fighters...  
  
Minutes crawled by slowly as I stood between the trees, waiting for Riv to give me my signal. What was taking him so long? From the looks of it, they needed my help very badly.  
  
Well, everyone that is, except two specific people: Lord Pent, and Lady Louise. They never needed anyone to assist them, for they were powerful and skilled enough to take on their enemies alone. Lord Pent maneuvered himself through the crowd of enemies effortlessly, blasting certain enemies with his perfected "thunder" spell. Enemies fell rapidly as he shot them down with his bolts and fire, not even giving them a second to beg for mercy. Lord Pent was everything I wanted to be, the perfect sage. And better yet, he had been my teacher.  
  
Lady Louise was quite admirable as well. Nimble and swift, she brought her strong, slim arm back and in one swift movement, released her hold, relaxing her muscles as she watched her arrow hit the selected target right through the gap in his armor. The fighter fell to the ground with a huge, ground-quaking "thump" and Louise grinned as she flipped her blond braid of hair behind her back.  
  
Both of them were quite honorable people; each fought with the much needed grace and diligence that the rest of our group lacked.  
  
Watching them both fight like this, side by side, reminded me of the past, where they spent hours training me to become a true mage. They had been my father and mother figures, people for me to lean on because there was no one else that cared for me. I had been alone in the world, and when they came along, I finally had a place and family to come home to.  
  
I still remember that day; the first day I met Pent and Louise. I recall walking through an endless desert, my throat dry and eyesight blurry. Sharp rocks poked through my torn shoes and sand stuck to my face and exposed skin. Needless to say, the desert climate had been rough.  
  
Tripping over my own feet, I eventually landed face first on the hot ground as I finally gave up and welcomed death with open arms.  
  
I lay on the scorching sand for hours, my thin garments wearing away under the burning sun.  
  
Then suddenly, just as I thought it was all over, I felt a light pressure on my back. A strong hand grabbed me gently by my hip and turned me onto my back, forcing me to stare into the glaring rays of sun. I squinted my eyes to see past the cover of sand and grit inside them and looked up into the two most exotic eyes I had ever seen.  
  
These two amethyst orbs poured into mine, reflecting in them the wonder and admiration I possessed for their owner. Silky strands of pale purple hair framed this man's face as he extended his hand towards me, wakening me from my deathly slumber. I reached up with all the energy I had left to grab his hand with mine, and was pulled up into a sitting position, still staring gratefully into my savior's eyes. It wasn't until later that I realized that this man, my savior, had been Lord Pent.  
  
He smiled kindly and pulled my weak form up against his and carried me in his arms, like a father would to his son. I can't remember much else, except being handed off to a huge man with a very muscular chest, being laid down onto a soft bed and finally drifting off into a peaceful and much- needed slumber.  
  
When I awoke in the morning, surrounded by a haven of fresh linen, I spotted someone sitting in the corner of the room. She had to be the most beautiful woman I had ever met, and something about her reminded me about what had happened the day before. Yes, it was those eyes, two perfect amethyst eyes that were almost identical to those of that man who I had met before. Had I been dreaming? Was all of this actually real?  
  
The woman stood up from her seat and walked over to my bedside. She reached out to grab my hand. It was a comforting feeling, just lying there and looking up into her eyes, which possessed the most sympathy I had ever received in my life.  
  
Feeling a strange need to play with her hair, I desperately tried to reach up with my hand and stroke her beautiful golden tresses. However, my weak limbs would not allow my arm to make the short ascent; I whimpered as I strained my sore muscles.  
  
"Shh, it's okay. Don't push yourself too hard, you've been through a lot," the woman said, giving me a kind smile as she rested her soft hand on my cheek.  
  
"I-" My voice came out in an awkward croak, but I continued on. "I don't know how to thank you enough."  
  
With nimble, delicate fingers, she undid her braid of hair and sat down beside me on the bed so that she was closer. I looked up at her and she nodded a silent reply. I began to snake my fingers through her silky mane, playfully fiddling with each strand.  
  
After a short while, she replied, "There's no need to thank me, young sire. After all, you have given my husband his first student."  
  
"Husband?" I inquired. She smiled kindly in reply, and as if on cue, the wooden door to my bedchamber began to creak open.  
  
The first thing I saw was a flash of purple, a cape. And then those eyes, so familiar, those amethyst eyes. I snapped to my senses. It was him, the man who saved my life the day before!  
  
"You!" I gasped. The woman smiled again, and looked up at the man lovingly.  
  
"Dearest Lord Pent, how nice of you to join us," she said, eyes sparkling up at him.  
  
"Lord...Pent?"  
  
Lord Pent silently walked over to his wife, the woman who had been sitting next to me, and planted a kiss on her hand. "My lovely Lady, how are you faring?"  
  
"All is well with me, dearest husband. But the little one-" She stopped short in the middle of her sentence to give me a worried glance.  
  
Lord Pent studied my face for a brief moment before he joined the rest of us on my bed. "Where are you from that you possess such vibrant purple hair?"  
  
I blushed shamefully. The first thing everyone happened to notice about me was my hair. "I hail from Etruria...that is all..."  
  
Lord Pent's wife smiled. "What a coincidence, we are from those great lands, as well. However, we've been staying here in Nabata to visit my husband's teacher."  
  
"Teacher? Nabata? Nabata Desert?" I questioned, utterly confused at the moment.  
  
Lord Pent looked amused. "Lady Louise and I are here visiting my magic teacher, Lord Athos. We enjoy visiting him every now and then...it helps me touch up on my magic skills." Lord Pent's brow was furrowed. "Someday, I hope to be as great of a magic user as him."  
  
I choked at the mention of Archsage Athos' name. "The-the one and only Archsage Athos is...is here?" I was amazed. Never in my life had I thought I would actually be able to meet the great Archsage.  
  
Lady Louise chuckled. "Yes, you must be quite excited. I'll arrange for you two to meet if Athos isn't too busy. Speaking of names, would you like to tell us your's?"  
  
I quit playing with Louise's hair and looked down at my blanketed feet. "I- I'm Erk, a young mage studying simple magic."  
  
I blushed. It was embarrassing, really. Here I was, in Archsage Athos' home, speaking to a great sage, and I couldn't even do a simple "Fire" spell correctly.  
  
"Impressive, good fellow! Or should I say, Erk?" Lord Pent actually looked like he had never met another mage before. "It's hard to find a charming mage such as yourself, nowadays."  
  
Lady Louise gave Lord Pent a quick glance before she said, "Lord Pent, don't you think we've pestered Erk enough for the day? I think he should get some rest...I mean, look how worn out he is from his travels. He deserves a good sleep."  
  
Lord Pent nodded, and both stood up from my bed. "We'll come for you tomorrow morning, so be sure to rest up and we'll see you then!" Pent explained, giving me one last look before they both went through the doorway and closed the door.  
  
Under my breath, I mumbled a quick "thank you," but they closed the door before they could hear it. Never in my life had I met such charming people, well, that is until I met Lyn and her entire legion.  
  
Soon after they left, I drifted off into a deep and peaceful sleep, with memories of the past two days dancing through my mind.  
  
The days I spent in Nabata passed quickly, and I enjoyed every minute of my experiences there. However, nothing measured up to my first meeting with Archsage Athos. I still reminisce about the time where I shook his hand and admired his great white beard and gentle eyes. Just feeling the great magical aura around him made me dizzy and lightheaded.  
  
Athos told me that he felt I would be able to become the best sage in the world next to Pent, and that we would eventually become two of the most unstoppable sages in the world. We both thanked him and eventually were forced to take our leave of the vast desert and depart for Etruria.  
  
Lord Pent, Lady Louise, and I were escorted all the way to their home in Etruria by a man named Hawkeye, who, turns out, was the one who carried me across a part of the desert...since Pent had been worn out.  
  
It took us many days to arrive at their manor, but when we did, I was awfully glad we had chosen to come. There was everything I could ever want at their home: well-furnished bedchambers, an enormous garden, and, best of all, the largest library I had ever seen.  
  
After I got settled in inside their guest room, Lady Louise gave me a new wardrobe and plenty of Lord Pent's old capes; it seemed I would never run out of a fresh pair of clothes.  
  
As I walked out into the hallway, I spotted Hawkeye at the main entrance, saying his goodbyes quietly to the Lord and Lady. I scurried down the hall to say goodbye as well, for he had helped me through the desert, after all.  
  
Hawkeye narrowed his beady eyes when he saw me, but at least he acknowledged my presence. He looked down at me and patted me on the head, saying goodbye in his own way. I admired the man somewhat, even if people referred to him as a beast of war, a deadly killer. He seemed like an honorable person, someone you could trust. However, I had only just met him, and he had left before I could really get to know him better.  
  
The most memorable thing in Lord Pent's mansion was his library. After Hawkeye left, Lord Pent grabbed me gently by the sleeve and led me up a flight of stairs, explaining to me that he had something I'd be interested in, and wanted to show it to me.  
  
I complied and let him tug me up the stairs, all the way to the top until we reached a huge wooden door. Lord Pent's fingers quickly slid the bolt away from its place and turned the golden knob.  
  
I watched in wonder as the door flew open, revealing a huge library with seemingly endless rows of bookcases. Books of all ages were organized by types of magic, and it seemed that Lord Pent had every book ever written in his collection.  
  
"It looks like you're going to enjoy yourself in here," Lord Pent remarked, grinning at my current expression. At that comment, I shut my mouth immediately, slightly embarrassed that I left it hanging open for so long.  
  
"Can I take a look around?" I asked timidly, wanting to make sure it was alright with my Lord. To me, upsetting anyone the slightest bit would make me feel terribly guilty; it was my one weakness.  
  
Lord Pent nodded, and I cautiously took one step inside the huge room. It smelled like mothballs and dust, but I barely noticed it for my fascination ruled over all of my senses at the time. I walked from bookshelf to bookshelf, admiring each and every set of books until I came to the one that interested me the most.  
  
I came to a stop when I set foot in the "Anima Magic" section. Walking slowly through the aisle between the bookcases, I perused through each and every book on the lowest shelf, for I could reach no others. I came upon countless instructions for casting the simplest spells, like "fire," and even discovered some books about the art of "Elfire" and "ForBlaze." At the time, I couldn't imagine myself being able to cast any of those difficult spells; funny how things turn out.  
  
As I leafed through a book about "Thunder," I accidentally lost my footing and fell against the bookcase to my right, leaning against it for support. Luckily, nothing broke, and no books were moved from the shelves, except one. After placing the other book back on its original shelf, I knelt down to retrieve the fallen book. I blew the dust off and read the words that had been carved into the cover:  
  
Magic for Beginners:  
A Magic User's Guide to Anima Spells: Book One  
Written by:  
  
My eyes read the author's name over and over in disbelief. "By...L-Lord Pent?"  
  
"You called?" Lord Pent materialized beside me, glancing over my shoulder at his book.  
  
"When did you write this?" I asked curiously, still staring at the cover of his book.  
  
"Oh, that was a while ago. I wanted to help struggling mages learn how to cast spells correctly...but I sort of lost interest in writing them," Lord Pent replied.  
  
"Where's book two?"  
  
Pent looked ashamed. "I never got around to writing that one."  
  
I laughed, amused by my Lord. "I never would have expected you to write a book! It seems...strange."  
  
Lord Pent shrugged and replied, "That makes two of us." Pent snatched the book out of my hands and placed it back on its shelf. "Now, Erk, I wanted to ask you something."  
  
I turned around to face him. "What?"  
  
"How would you like for me to teach you how to properly cast some anima spells? It would be...fun. I've never had a student before, so you would be the first." Pent explained.  
  
How could I have let an offer like that pass me by? "Of course I'll do it!" I exclaimed, excited already with just the idea of studying magic under Lord Pent's supervision and guidance. "When will we start?"  
  
Lord Pent smiled. "Tomorrow morning, now get some sleep, it has been a long day," he urged me, ushering me out of the library and down the stairs.  
  
That night it was impossible for me to fall asleep. Thoughts of anticipation of the next day's lessons kept me awake for almost the whole night; once my excitement finally wore off, I slept peacefully through the remaining hours of the night.  
  
My first lesson was wonderful; Lord Pent guided me through the workings of the "Fire" spell, teaching me the proper form and technique needed to cast it. At first, I could barely create a spark, but by the end of the day, I was able to create a very small fireball, which I was very proud of. Lord Pent was delighted with my progress in one day, and told me with lots of hard work and studying, I could become one of the greatest mages in the world.  
  
So, following his advice, I began to study like mad. Every morning I'd select a few books about anima magic from the library, and every night I'd fall asleep while reading them throughout the night.  
  
I learned the origin of many of the spells, and became fascinated with the idea of magic, and every different form of it. However, after researching Dark and Light magic, I finally settled on Anima magic and decided that I would remain a mage for the rest of my life.  
  
During my second week of training, I found that I was able to create an entire column of fire, which amazed my teacher and myself. However, Lord Pent was not very happy when I accidentally set half of his garden on fire when I got a little carried away with the spell. Lady Louise scolded me briefly before she broke out into a fit of laughter and pulled me into her arms, telling me over and over that I made her very happy, and that she wouldn't know what she would do if I ever left her. I had become part of their family, their son, and I never wanted to leave the safety of their home.  
  
However, that day came far too quickly when I decided that I wanted to become an independent mage and set off for a far away land to get myself a job. When I arrived in a small town, I found work as an escort for those who needed protecting. The pay wasn't much, but most of the people I escorted were very agreeable people and I formed quite friendly relationships with each of them. It was a fun job, and I got to practice my magic skills almost every time I escorted someone to their destination. However, I became bored of the job, and quite aggravated, especially when I was forced to escort a young cleric.  
  
Her name was Serra, and she was younger than me by a couple years. She had vibrant pink hair and a wild look in her eyes and always seemed to be a little bit full of herself. Everyday that I spent with her was torturous; she never wanted to be quiet, would pester me all day long, and was always distracting me from my job. I had never had a customer like her before, and never wanted to ever again. However, while I was venturing through the woods with her one day, we came upon a battle and decided to help out one of the teams. This team was lead by Lady Lyndis, and after the battle, we both decided that we would help her to find her way to her sickly grandfather, the marquess of Caelin.  
  
It was sad separating from Serra in the end; by the time we reached the castle and defeated Lord Lundgren, I had gotten used to her crazy antics. I didn't want to leave Lyndis and all of the others, but in order to survive I needed money, and so I went back to my old job as an escort.  
  
While protecting my newest escort, a troubadour named Priscilla, I decided to help out in yet another battle. When I left the safety of the village, I saw a familiar face, Serra. We conversed briefly, and I smiled to myself when I realized she hadn't changed her ways. She convinced me to assist Lord Eliwood in the battle, so I did as best as I could, striking down the enemies with my "Fire" spell, every fireball cast reminding me of my old home with Pent and Louise.  
  
I decided to aid Eliwood further in his adventure, so I joined their team and traveled with them to many different places that I had never been to before. It seemed that my new home was on the battlefield, fighting alongside my comrades.  
  
Every day that went by made me miss Lord Pent and Lady Louise more and more, and I survived through every battle with hope that I would see them again someday. My wish came true when I found out that they had talked to Lord Eliwood and decided to help him on his quest.  
  
When I first saw them again, I was overjoyed. I ran up to Lady Louise and threw my arms around her, crying tears of joy. Lord Pent smiled at me and asked me how my studies were going, delighted with my new choice of profession. We all sat down and talked for hours, with me telling them about my adventures as an escort and mage.  
  
"Erk!"  
  
Someone was calling me.  
  
"Erk! I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes!" Riv was running up to me, shouting as he ran through the forest. He stopped for a minute to catch his breath, kneeling on the ground with one hand touching the soaked dirt to support himself. "Stop spacing out, Erk. We have a battle to fight, and it's not going well...we need your help, even if you can't use your 'fire' spell in these conditions."  
  
"Sorry, Riv. I'll help out, I promise," I replied, making my way through the forest.  
  
"Go help Lady Louise and Sain, they seem to be outnumbered," Riv ordered, getting up and running a hand through his soaked green hair.  
  
"Got it." I nodded in his direction and broke out into a run, stopping when I reached the foot of a huge mountain.  
  
I still felt quite helpless, and didn't know where Lady Louise and Sain were fighting. I had to regain my breath before I started to run again.  
  
Suddenly, I heard hooves pounding quickly against the moist ground behind me. The sound got louder and louder, until I felt myself being pulled onto a horse by a strong arm.  
  
Kent turned to look at me. "You shouldn't just stand in one place, who knows who will be coming up behind you to attack!" Kent reprimanded me, narrowing his gaze into a small glare.  
  
"Sorry," I replied, looking at my feet and grabbing hold of Kent's waist to steady myself. "I don't know where everyone is."  
  
"I can see that," Kent answered. "Sain needs some assistance...but what else is new. I'll bring you to where he and Louise are, and you can cast your 'thunder' spell as much as you want."  
  
I laughed inwardly; Kent was always worried about everyone, although he didn't show it quite as openly as the rest of us. "I'll try to help out as much as possible, since it's going to be a hard battle, especially in these conditions."  
  
Kent nodded in response and we galloped by Fiora just as she drove her spear through a mage. "Watch out for those archers over there, Fiora!" Kent yelled to her, catching her attention as we sped by.  
  
As we rode towards the mountains, I spotted Sain, who was actually concentrating on the enemy instead of flirting with the nearest woman, for once. "I can go the rest of the way, Kent. You go back and help Fiora out, okay?"  
  
"Alright, be careful out there, Erk." Kent answered as I dismounted his horse.  
  
My leather boots slid quickly against the saturated blades of grass, bringing me into the thick of the battle.  
  
"Erk! I'm glad you're here! Now help me out with these cavaliers!" Sain commanded as I hurried over to his side.  
  
As three cavaliers headed our way, I got into position to cast a spell, and sent three bolts of lightning down from the sky, each one striking the enemies down.  
  
From behind me, I heard Louise say, "I see you've improved since the days back at the manor,"  
  
I turned around and grinned at her. "Well, I have been getting a lot of practice, if you know what I mean."  
  
Sain's eyes scanned over Louise a couple times before something else caught his attention. "Hey, look! Wyvern riders are appearing atop those mountains, and their attention seems to be on our three lords," Sain pointed out, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"I'll take care of it." Louise said as she gripped her bow tightly and set off in the wyvern riders' direction.  
  
"Wait-Lady Louise! Don't go by yourself!" I urged her, running after her as quickly as I could.  
  
I turned around to look for Sain, with hopes of him carrying me to where Louise was, but he had disappeared, most likely going in search of Kent to help out his friend, or to guard over Lyn and rest of the lords.  
  
I started to run again, picking up my pace as I saw Louise stop and begin to fire her arrows at the riders.  
  
One by one they fell down from the mountain as Louise struck them down with her arrows. It certainly helped that they were vulnerable to arrow attacks.  
  
However, things didn't look good. Countless numbers of Wyvern riders were flying around Louise, each one threatening her with their lances. Fortunately, Louise was quick and was dodging each one of their attacks almost effortlessly. She ran beneath them, lances barely missing her as she scurried this way and that, her soaked garments clinging to her sculpted legs as she moved this way and that.  
  
I arrived behind her and the enemy troops and began to summon more lightning down from the sky. Some of the bolts struck down a couple riders, but most of them missed. My nervousness seemed to be throwing off my aim.  
  
My heart was beating furiously inside my chest. I began to worry more and more. I had to help Lady Louise; it was only a matter of time before she ran out of energy and couldn't dodge any more of the attacks.  
  
The rain plastered my tousled purple hair against my cheeks as I spun around, casting my spells over and over again, striking down as many riders as I could. They fell from the sky with eerie screams of pain, landing around me and on top of one another.  
  
Louise was doing well, too; she and I managed, eventually, to kill each and every one of the pesky wyvern riders with our attacks.  
  
Louise emerged from between the dead bodies of animals and riders, soaked from head to toe with minor cuts across her legs from the few attacks that had made contact with her skin.  
  
She smiled at me, a silent way of thanking me for saving her life. I was proud of what I had done; I no longer felt useless in this battle. I wondered...would Lord Pent be proud of me, too? I practically lived to hear him praise me-there was nothing in the world that made me happier.  
  
It seemed that that would be the last smile I ever saw on Louise's face, for at that exact moment the sudden sound of wings flapping and a shriek of pain filled the air. I watched in horror as Lady Louise was speared through the heart with a lance, the woman wyvern lord behind her smiling cruelly. Louise fell to the ground as the blood from her wound spilled out all around her.  
  
I screamed her name as I began to scamper towards her, tears streaming down my face. I was almost there, but a sharp rock caught on the fabric of my cape and sent me to the ground, face first. I dug my fingers into the moist earth, lifting my head only to see the wyvern lord flying towards me. I was too tired and worn out to cast another spell and I lay on the ground, awaiting my fate, just as I had in the desert years before.  
  
I could feel a sharp blade slowly poking through my clothes and tracing circles on my back, teasing me painfully. Blood from the cuts being formed on my back seeped down onto the ground around me.  
  
"Just kill me already!" I screamed in anguish, choking on my sobs as I tried to speak. In my head, I imagined the wyvern rider maliciously grin as she plunged her weapon through my body.  
  
Suddenly, a bright flash filled the air, and the sound of flapping wings ceased. Through my blurry vision I saw the wyvern lord fly a couple feet and fall to the ground in defeat.  
  
I heard the frantic footsteps of the one who had saved me; I already knew who it was. There was no other man in the world, besides Archsage Athos, who could cast a bolt of lightning with such tremendous power.  
  
Lord Pent knelt down in front of me, his expression still one of pure hatred that he felt towards the one who had killed his wife. He reached out with his hand to wipe the tears out of my eyes and stared back at me, his expression softening. After a few minutes, he stood up and extended his hand to me, just as he had when he saved me from death in the Nabata desert. I gripped his hand with my trembling one, and he lifted me up and together, we rushed to Louise's side.  
  
With just one look at her face, I broke out into a fresh wave of tears and collapsed on the ground beside her. I felt the need to run my fingers through her hair as I had when we first met.  
  
Lord Pent knelt down beside me, staring down at me, one solitary tear running down his face. It was strange to see him crying; to me, he had always been the strongest man I knew. I hurt even more inside as I saw him crying, telling myself that if I had been paying more attention, I could have prevented this from happening.  
  
"L-Lord Pent," I managed to get out through my sobs. "I-if I had been more alert...I...this would have never happened!"  
  
Lord Pent narrowed his eyes and forced me to sit up. "Erk, be quiet. You've always been too hard on yourself-too caught up in what everyone else is feeling to care about yourself. Just let it go...I promise, everything will be okay."  
  
He began to rub my back soothingly, trying to calm me down and stop my crying. The tears wouldn't stop, though. The guilt I was feeling was just too overwhelming.  
  
I turned around and threw myself into his arms, his arms sliding around my waist, pulling my weak form to his soaked body and wrapping his cape around me. Lord Pent was the only person I could lean on right now, and I hated more than anything for him to see me like this. As I sobbed into his shoulder, I thought about how much I had let him down today. There was nothing I could do that would solve any of this-I was at a loss for words.  
  
"It's okay, Erk. Stop beating yourself up inside, you know it's not your fault," Pent whispered in my ear, which calmed me down a little. How Pent could forgive me for something like this, I would never know.  
  
Everyone started to arrive soon after that, forming a circle around us, some crying, some staring at us with a sad look in their eyes. I had let them all down, each and every one of them.  
  
"I'm so sorry!" I cried, looking up at Lord Pent with tears in my eyes. I could hear Lyn's crying coming from behind me.  
  
Lord Pent just held me tighter, stroking my back like a father or mother would. He was my father, the father I never had. I had loved him and Louise more than anything else in the world, even magic.  
  
After that battle, I never saw Lord Pent again. He and Hawkeye disappeared after I saw them burying Lady Louise in the ground near the area where she died. I have no idea what became of them, and miss Lord Pent more and more with each passing day.  
  
I left Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn's group, and gave up my title as a mage. I stopped using magic, and burned all of the books that Lord Pent had given me after I left the mansion; the "Fire" spell was the last one I ever used. I wanted to forget about it all, and leave the past behind me.  
  
...it didn't work out all that well. My thoughts are constantly filled with the memories I had of Lady Louise and Lord Pent, the time where I let everyone down, when Louise died.  
  
I wish I could go back to that day and correct everything, make everything all right again...but I can't, and I'll always hate myself for that.  
  
Those thoughts still linger on my mind, haunting me every time I try to go to sleep at night.  
  
How I was too caught up in our victory to notice the sound of its wings flapping...  
  
And I was too far away to do anything about it...  
  
I was too late when I rushed to Louise's side...  
  
...she was already dead, and it was my fault.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Whoa, Erk, lighten up a bit!  
  
Ten points to anyone who can guess who killed Louise. -.-;;  
  
Which chapter do you think this took place in? Just a bit of terribly easy Fire Emblem trivia for you all. :P  
  
Hope you enjoyed this...depressing as it was. I've always wanted to write a one-shot...but this one didn't turn out like I wanted it to. I hate the ending. Oh well...  
  
I had written a different ending at first, where Erk found one book that he forgot to burn (Pent's book) and decided to become a mage again...but I didn't want it to be a happy ending so I changed it. I hope I got Erk in character, or as in character as he could be in this particular situation. It always amused me in the Support conversations with Erk and Pent where Erk practically worshipped Pent.  
  
Just to let you all know, I don't hate Louise. I didn't kill her off because I dislike her, I just wanted to write some Erk-angst. I'm sure you all understand...right? ^^;;  
  
I wanted to know...did it sound like there was an intended Erk/Pent pairing? I seriously didn't mean for any of this to sound like that. I meant for Pent to be like a father figure type thing for Erk, but when I sent this to my friend she said: "it sounds like he wants to get in his pants." Maybe my friend is just perverted...I don't know. ^^;;  
  
Some reviews would be nice...^____^ 


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